Instant Pot Butter Chicken
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jul 1, 2025 
This Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe is vibrant and packed with succulent pieces of tender chicken in a creamy tomato based sauce. The best part is that’s ready in just minutes using your pressure cooker!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Butter. Chicken. Were there ever two words more perfect together?
Although I can think of a lot of names to better describe this classic Indian favorite, Perfect Butter Chicken Curry is definitely the most tantalizing title.
This instant pot recipe uses the “Pressure Cook” setting on the Instant Pot which allows you to pack in hours of slow-cooked flavor in minutes! You get all the complexity of restaurant-made Butter Chicken, in a speedy recipe you can make in a pinch. You’ve got to love that.
Why You’ll Love Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Bold flavors – This curry dish is loaded with layers of bold Indian spices, flavors and vibrant colors.
- One-pot magic – I love that this comforting butter chicken recipe is made in one pot, your pressure cooker, which means easy clean-up!
- Meal-prep hero – Make sure to make big batches of this dish and enjoy it for lunch or dinner throughout the week.
Butter lovers unite! Our Instant Pot Butter Chicken Curry is going to rock your dinner table tonight.
Ingredients and Tips
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast – Make sure to cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter or ghee.
- Vegetables – Use peeled and chopped onion, garlic and minced ginger.
- Spices – You’ll need curry powder, garam masala and smoked paprika.
- Tomato sauce – Use a canned tomato sauce or tomato puree.
- Heavy cream – A regular full-fat or skim-option heavy cream works.
- Cilantro – For a fresh garnish, use chopped cilantro.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Dairy-free – Use coconut oil or non-dairy butter spread instead of the butter/ghee, and thick canned coconut milk (or coconut cream) instead of the heavy cream.
- Vegetarian – Swap the chicken with chickpeas.
- Veggies – Mix in some chopped bell peppers, cauliflower, green beans or potatoes for a veggie boost.
- Paneer – Swap or add in paneer, which is like an Indian cottage cheese, for extra texture.
- Extra heat – Sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper for extra spiciness!
How To Make Instant Pot Butter Chicken
This restaurant-style Instant Pot Butter Chicken is so easy to make at home, and in less than 30 minutes you’ll have the MOST comforting bowl of curry to dig into!
Find the full Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Tips For Success
- I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs for super tender butter chicken. Since it has a higher fat content, it won’t dry out as quickly as chicken breast will, resulting in juicier chicken pieces.
- Cut the chicken into even cubes to make sure that they all cook through around the same time.
- Don’t skip the butter! After all, this is butter chicken. It may seem like a large amount of butter, but all that butter is important for the smooth, creamy texture and flavor!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Store cooled down leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days.
- Reheating Leftovers – Place leftovers in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freezing Leftovers – Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly and add a splash of cream if the curry is too dry.
Serving Suggestions
Serve a generous portion of Indian Pot Butter Chicken with a classic side of fluffy basmati rice. If you want to make this meal a little bit more nutritious, pair it with brown rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa.
I love to scoop up this butter chicken curry using fresh naan or homemade roti. You can add a dollop of yogurt as a garnish for an extra refreshing zing.
Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 tablespoons butter, or ghee
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Place the butter, chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and all spices in the Instant Pot. Set on Sauté for 5 minutes. Stir to make sure the ingredients don't burn. Once the onions are soft, turn off.
- Pour 1/2 cup water into the pot. Then use a wooden spoon to scrub the debris off the bottom of the pot. (This ensures the burn notice will not go off!)
- Add the chopped chicken thighs and canned tomato sauce. Lock the lid into place and turn the Instant Pot on Pressure Cook High for 7 minutes. Once finished, turn the Instant Pot Off, then perform a Quick Release to release the steam pressure. Once the valve button drops, unlock the lid and remove.
- Stir in the heavy cream. Set the Instant Pot on Sauté again and simmer for 2-5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Butter chicken, also known as murgh makhani, literally means chicken with butter. So, butter chicken is made in a sauce that uses a larger amount of butter for a silky, rich sauce. Chicken tikka masala is similar since it is a tomato-based sauce with lots of bold Indian spices, but it uses less butter and is usually a bit spicier than butter chicken!
No instant pot? No problem! You can easily make this butter chicken in the slow cooker! Follow step 1 on the stovetop, then transfer the onions and spices to the crockpot of your slow cooker. Add the tomato sauce and chopped chicken, and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Then, stir in the heavy cream and serve warm!
My family loves butter chicken, and we couldn’t believe how deeply the flavor developed in such a short time thanks to the instant pot! My husband even said this is his new favorite — thank you!
My husband loves this recipe, he asks for it all the time! The only thing I change is I use a “heaping” teaspoon of salt and I splash a little chicken broth instead of water so we don’t get the burn notice. My kids love it too! It’s been in our regular rotation for over a year. Thanks for the recipe!
very “eh”
i never ever go out of my way to leave comments under recipes (usually it never calls for it as the recipe is good and i don’t need to leave feedback lmao)
this recipe, as is, was pretty bland. per the other comments i left out the water. i ended up adding triple the ingredients plus some makeshift spices i had lying around that i hoped would make it taste better. i also had to look thru other recipes to find out what was missing (and it was a lot). i would recommend tripling ingredients, adding salt, and sweetener (yes, sweetener). got it to taste halfway decent– but it definitely could be better. readers please keep that in mind. i also added some veggies !
The flavour is decent but the sauce is very watery even after simmering for over 10 minutes. It almost certainly doesn’t need the water added in step 3. Definitely room for improvement.
I really love this recipe but am frustrated by the prep time. I am an experienced and fast home cook, and there is no way I could cut up two pounds of chicken, peel and dice an onion, grate ginger, mince garlic and assemble and measure all the other spices and ingredients in five minutes!!
Recipe writers could really help home cooks, especially working parents, by providing realistic prep times.
Thank you 😊
Best curry I have made yet, out of several dishes!!
Simple, fast, cheap, and mouth wateringly good 🤤
Absolutely perfect! I added some frozen peas and a little bit of cornstarch to thicken up the sauce and served it on cauliflower rice. My husband and I loved it!!
This is an awesome dish. Was absolutely delicious I have made it 3 times now. I add 1 tsp of turmeric and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper for a little spice kick. I was wondering if you can add potatoes and carrots to this recipe or would it overcook the veggies?
I added 1 cup of water as written in step 2, and my curry ended up waaaay too watery. It was like soup. My IP wasn’t burned so I probably didn’t need to add the water, but didn’t see the note at the end of the recipe until later. The note could have been added in step 2 for ease of understanding.
Does this make your house smell for days, like when you toast spices on the stove?
Loved your recipe’s instructions on perfect instant pot butter chicken curry. Thanks for such amazing words.